1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bubble-producing devices, and in particular, to a simple toy that is capable of producing bubbles within a larger enclosing bubble, and of simultaneously producing a plurality of separate bubbles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bubble producing toys are very popular among children who enjoy producing bubbles of different shapes and sizes. Many bubble producing toys have previously been provided. Perhaps the simplest example has a stick with a circular opening or port at one end, resembling a wand. A film is produced when the port is dipped into a bubble solution or bubble producing fluid (such as soap) and then removed therefrom. Bubbles are then formed by blowing carefully against the film. Such a toy requires dipping every time a bubble is to created, and the bubble solution must accompany the wand from one location to another. Another drawback is that only one bubble can be produced at a time. Therefore, such simple bubble producing toys offer limited amusement and are limited in the types, shapes and sizes of the bubbles that they can produce.
As a result, attempts have been made to provide bubble producing toys that offer more variety and amusement. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,041,423 (Mausolf) discloses a soap bubble pipe that produces a cluster of three soap bubbles. U.S. Pat. No. 2,213,391 (Gamble) discloses a bubble blower that produces three bubbles, one bubble within the other. U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,552 (Jernigan) discloses a bubble within a larger exterior bubble.
Unfortunately, each of these devices has limited applications. For example, the device in U.S. Pat. No. 2,041,423 (Mausolf) can only produce a cluster of three bubbles. Also, the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,213,391 (Gamble) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,552 (Jernigan) can only produce one bubble within an outer bubble.
Another drawback associated with previously known or available bubble producing devices is that they do not always consistently produce complete bubbles. This problem is typically experienced by devices that attempt to produce more than one bubble, since the bubble solution may not adequately cover or coat all the surfaces of the loops and shapes that define these multiple bubbles.
Yet a further drawback associated with previously known or available bubble producing devices is that they often lack variety in play and amusement. These devices produce one or more bubbles that just merely float away.
Thus, there remains a need to provide devices that can produce different configurations and variations of bubbles so as to enhance the amusement value and play variety for children.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bubble producing device that produces a plurality of bubbles within an outer enclosing bubble.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a bubble producing device that produces a plurality of bubbles within an outer enclosing bubble that is in itself one of a plurality of bubbles that are enclosed within another larger outer enclosing bubble.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a bubble producing device that consistently produces complete bubbles.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bubble producing assembly that produces a plurality of separate bubbles upon the actuation of a single control mechanism.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bubble producing assembly that allows the user to shoot liquid at the produced bubbles.
The objectives of the present invention are accomplished by providing a bubble producing assembly that has a housing having an outlet, an air generator positioned on the housing, a bubble producing device positioned over the air generator, a first activator coupled to the air generator, a reservoir associated with the housing for storing a liquid, a pump system coupling the reservoir and the outlet, and a second activator coupled to the pump system for delivering the liquid from the reservoir out of the outlet. Thus, a user can use the first activator to generate air to produce bubbles, and can use the second activator to generate a stream of the liquid that can be aimed at the generated bubbles.